Sacramento County park rangers were busy checking river rafters for contraband. The enforcement effort was concentrated in an area stretching some 11 miles between Howe and Hazel avenues along the river.

Park Ranger Will Safford confiscated dozens of beer cans and other illegal substances from rafters trying to sneak in alcohol.

But park rangers were vigilant about enforcing the ban on booze and spreading the word that alcohol and water don't mix.

The booze ban caught many people by surprise, including Julie Watari, whose band of merry-goers from Plumas Lake were told to take their beer to the car.

"Well, we didn’t know that the alcohol wasn’t allowed and so we have no problem though getting rid of it though at all," Watari told KCRA 3.

When asked why park rangers were enforcing the ban, she replied, "I'm assuring for safety."

The ban is a safety measure, put into law after several years of rowdy rafters on the river who were behaving badly.

"Oh yeah, we’ve had fights," said Stan Lumsden, chief park ranger for Sacramento County. "We’ve had people hit with rocks and oars and you name it. It happens out here."

Not everyone was happy with the ban, but most folks seemed supportive.

"Well, I think the ban is good, only because so many things can happen when you’re not yourself and that’s what alcohol does," Shirley Cardinale told KCRA 3.